Affirmations are mini mantras that pack a punch! They can help you harness the power of your emotions – even the seemingly negative ones like anxiety and fear – and put them to positive use.
In this article, we’ll unpack:
- What affirmations are.
- Why affirmations work.
- When and how to rock chakra affirmations!
What are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive statements that can help you challenge and overcome negative thoughts, encourage yourself, boost self-esteem, relieve anxiety, increase self-love, and expand upon the tangible as well as the magical and mystical properties of the chakras.
An affirmation is a declaration that compliments who you are or confirms who you wish to be.
Repeating and truly believing is crucial to the effectiveness of affirmations in making changes.
How do affirmations work?
They stimulate the areas in your brain that make you more likely to effect positive change in regard to yourself and your health.
Consider this: You do repetitive exercises – sun salutations, AMRAPs, tabatas, running, etc – to elevate your physical health. Affirmations are a workout for your mind and mindset. They are mental repetitions that can reprogram your thought patterns by actually rewriting neural pathways so that you begin to think and act differently.
When practiced regularly you can strengthen your sense of self and resilience, or become more aligned with whatever it is you’re connecting to, amplifying or manifesting via specific affirmations.
Why use affirmations?
Affirmations are known to help in performance of all kinds – from the mental to physical – by inducing presence, calming nerves, increasing confidence, and therefore improving your chances of success.
Practicing positivity during calm times prepares you to handle negative emotions and situations during more chaotic moments.
Affirmation as medicine
Affirmation is said to help reduce the effects of stress, and has been used to successfully treat mental conditions such as depression and low self-esteem.
A stronger sense of self-worth makes you more likely to improve your own well-being. Affirmations can be used to remind yourself of your values and inspire you to change your behavior.
When to Use Affirmations
Affirmations can be used anytime, anywhere you desire change in your life, such as when you’d like to:
- Accept a situation or circumstance.
- Raise your confidence, elevate your self-esteem, change your mindset.
- Improve your productivity, finish projects.
- Cross things off your To Do list.
- Overcome a bad habit or change a tendency.
- Understand negative feelings like frustration, anger or impatience.
- Alchemize negative into positive.
- Make magic!
The power of affirmations lies in saying the statements to yourself regularly. You may wish to recite your affirmations several (or many more) times a day. Repeating your affirmations as soon as you realize you’ve engaged in the negative thought or behavior you’re striving to overcome is critical.
How to Use Affirmations
Affirmations rock on their own – they are a sufficient strategy and powerful practice. And they can become even more effective when combined with other positive techniques like intention setting, mudra, meditation, movement, etc. They’re especially potent paired with visualization, so you may find it powerful to imagine how it would feel to experience what you desire as if it were already here.
Choose an affirmation that feels meaningful to you. Then decide how you’ll practice:- Repeat it silently until you feel empowered, peaceful or however you’re seeking to feel.
- Recite it out loud – some say 3 times is the magic number, others stick with 5, whilst others prefer to affirm for a set amount of time, such as 2-5 minutes.
- Writing it down, in your journal or on paper, is also a potent practice.
- Some find it helpful to practice repeating affirmations whilst looking in the mirror.
There are many ways to affirm. You get to come up with your own prescription!
Le raison d’être – Chakra Affirmations
Affirmations are magically delicious for chakra balancing!
The healing power of the chakras flows through the system of you constantly. So what does it mean to have an imbalance, and how do you balance your chakras? Let’s take a quick look.
How the Chakra System Works
Chakra is the Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “disc”. The seven main chakras, or energy centres, begin at the base of your spine and rise to the crown of your head. They align with specific nerve plexuses, and the cross sections between them house glands (and therefore hormones) and organs.
Each chakra has a name, colour, sound, symbol, certain emotions, and other defining elements that corresponds to a precise vibrational frequency.
When chakras are in balance, life seems to flow and there is an ease – physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, spiritually. When chakras are blocked, you’ll notice.
For example, the root chakra is all about survival and security. A root chakra imbalance may show up mentally as anxiety and physically as gut issues. If you’re feeling sad or lonely, your heart chakra may need a cuddle. When unable to speak up, your throat chakra needs a boost.
How do we remedy these energetic ailments?
Cue the Chakra Affirmations
By working with an affirmation designed to heal a certain chakra, you can direct the flow of energy back to a healthy, harmonious state. Affirmations provide the focus you need to get back in balance.
How to Use Chakra Affirmations for Healing
When it comes to chakra cleansing and aligning, affirmations are one of the most powerful tools you have.
Why?
Our thoughts create our reality and affirmations can help us achieve and maintain a positive mindset. When we feel positive, we generate positive energy which can flow through the chakras, clearing blockages en route.
Positive affirmations align with the energetic flow of the universe, which makes manifesting the desires of your soul easier. Positive affirmations focus your attention and emotions on positivity thus sending positivity out, so you naturally magnetize more positivity back in.
When you open your chakras, you open your mind.
Ready to practice chakra affirmations?
To practice chakra affirmations, find a sweet spot (many prefer a quiet place), get comfortable (like you would for meditation – seated or lying down, with the spine as straight as possible) and decide which chakra to focus upon.
How to Choose a Chakra
If you’re seeking to cure a specific issue or ailment, invoke the energy of a certain element, heal an emotion or call in the powers of something in particular – you will choose accordingly and focus on the location of the chakra with which you’re working.
Alternatively, you can align the whole system by working through each chakra – most practitioners begin at the first and work their way up. You might select or create an affirmation for every energy centre, and follow the instructions below.
How to Choose an Affirmation
Simply choose an existing affirmation that resonates with you in the moment – reading it feels like a cuddle or elicits an emotional response or inspiration – or create one for yourself. This may come to you intuitively, or you might be inspired by ours.
Read the affirmation over and over, committing it to memory if possible. Perhaps eventually softening your gaze or closing your eyes as you continue to say it aloud or silently.
As you repeat the affirmation, visualize the color of the chakra and imagine it flowing into your energy center. This may appear as an expansion of the color from the center, or an increase in vibrancy or saturation, with your inhalation, followed by the color shrinking back to a small point or soft glow with the contraction of your exhalation.
Truly, deeply engage, immerse in the sensation of the feeling of the words of the affirmation.
Chakra Affirmations
#1 Root Chakra Affirmations
Muladhara, the Root Chakra, is located at the base of the spine. This is the foundation for the entire chakra system. It is where your basic needs and survival instincts live.
Colour – Red
Element – Earth
Balanced Root Chakra – a feeling of stability, security, trust and safety.
Blocked Root Chakra – you may worry too much, feel lazy and let anger grow. Emotionally you may cling to people around you. Physical issues might include colon pain, constipation, sciatica, lower back pain, hemorrhoids, prostate issues or menstrual cramps.
Root Chakra Affirmations – can help you access and elevate will power, endurance, your sense of security, connection with nature, and stability with wellness including finances, mental health, and spirituality.
- I am grounded.
- I am safe.
- I am taken care of.
- I am financially secure.
- I’m always provided for.
#2 Sacral Chakra Affirmations
Svadisthana, the Sacral Chakra is located just below your navel. This is the home of your creativity, passion, joy and energy.
Colour – Orange
Element – Water
Balanced Sacral Chakra – passionate, optimistic, confident in sexuality and creativity.
Blocked Sacral Chakra – poor boundaries, lack of control around your sexual urges, or sexual repression. Jealousy, fear, sexual dysfunction, obsessions, attachments, or feeling detached from one’s soul or self.
Sacral Chakra Affirmations – can help you to improve your creativity, optimism, body image and attitude about sexuality, and accept others.
- I am creative.
- I am in touch with my feelings.
- I am comfortable in my body.
- It is my right to be joyful and find pleasure.
- It’s safe to express my sexuality.
#3 Solar Plexus Chakra Affirmations
Manipura, the Solar Plexus Chakra is located in your belly, just below your heart. This is your seat of personal power, growth and control, and the main source of your success in the world.
Colour – Yellow
Element – Fire
Balanced Solar Plexus – clearly defined healthy boundaries, high will power and excitement toward life.
Blocked Solar Plexus – fear, anxiety, stress, resentment and unhealthy competition, trouble sleeping.
Solar Plexus Chakra Affirmations – can help you to develop your talents and become confident and assertive with healthy, compassionate boundaries.
- I am strong.
- I am in flow.
- I am powerful.
- I know and trust myself.
- I honor myself.
#4 Heart Chakra Affirmations
Anahata, the Heart Chakra is located in the chest. This centre connects the lower chakras to the upper. Well-being, compassion and unconditional love reside here.
Colour – Green
Element – Air
Balanced Heart Chakra – feelings of empathy, wisdom, interconnectedness, friendliness
Blocked Heart Chakra – lonely, isolated, dysfunctional relationships (jealousy, criticizing, fear of rejection) or co-dependence. Physical issues may include lung, heart and upper back issues.
Heart Chakra Affirmations – can help you be more loving, welcoming and accepting of yourself and others.
- I am open to give and receive love.
- I love and accept myself.
- I forgive myself and others.
- I am fully open to love.
- My heart is full of love.
#5 Throat Chakra Affirmations
Vishuddi, the Throat Chakra is located in the center of the throat. It governs your ability to express yourself, communicate, stand in your truth and live authentically.
Colour – Blue
Element – Ether
Balanced Throat Chakra – high vibration, ease in consciously creating, balance between when you communicate and when you listen.
Blocked Throat Chakra – fear, embarrassment or confusion in regard to speaking up, prone to gossip or lies. Physically this may manifest as a stiff neck, thyroid issues, dental problems, TMJ, laryngitis.
Throat Chakra Affirmations – can help you strengthen your voice, express yourself fully, be more creative.
- I love to use my voice.
- I speak my truth freely.
- It’s safe to express my needs.
- I am honest about who I am.
- I trust others.
#6 Third Eye Chakra Affirmations
Ajna, the Third Eye Chakra, is between your eyebrows in the middle of your head. It’s related to clarity, intuition, and connection with the spiritual world.
Colour – Indigo
Element – Light
Balanced Third Eye Chakra – strong sense of awe and inner peace, self respect and knowing, clear vision inside and out.
Blocked Third Eye Chakra – lack of perspective, priorities, or imagination, difficulty concentrating, poor memory. Physical ailments may include eye issues, headaches, lethargy.
Third Eye Chakra Affirmations – can help you to find more wisdom and spiritual connection.
- I am peaceful.
- I trust my intuition.
- I experience clarity.
- I know myself.
- I am connected to the divine.
#7 Crown Chakra Affirmations
Sahasrara, the Crown Chakra, is located at the top of the head. This is where we commune with the Divine.
Colour – Violet
No Element – Pure Spirit
Balanced Crown Chakra – deep sense of wisdom and connection with the Divine.
Blocked Crown Chakra – overwhelm, despair, detachment from reality. When other chakras are underdeveloped, activating this chakra can cause problems such as addictions and spiritual crisis.
Crown Chakra Affirmations – can help you feel connected to all beings, and experience spiritual awakening and freedom.
- All is well.
- I am at peace.
- I am a divine being.
- Everything is connected.
- I am connected to the universe.
The end of the rainbow
Commit. Choose affirmations that are meaningful for you and work with them consistently. Set aside specific time to meditate or repeat them silently in your mind anytime, all the time.
When used regularly, chakra affirmations are powerful in your development – physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically and spiritually.
Feeling inspired? Consider trying some Chakra Mantras or Tummo Breathing!
